Party realignment in the United States facts for kids

A party realignment in the United States happens when the main political party in charge changes, or when many people switch which party they support. It's like a big shift in how people vote and which parties are powerful. Sometimes, old political parties disappear, and new ones are formed. These big changes can happen because of important historical events or because the country's population changes.

Early American Politics: The 1820s Shift

In the early 1800s, the United States had its first major political system. It was called the "First Party System." The two main groups were the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party.

When James Monroe became President, the Federalist Party slowly faded away. This led to a time called the "Era of Good Feelings," where the Democratic-Republican Party was mostly in charge.

However, things changed after the United States presidential election, 1824. Four different men ran for President, all from the Democratic-Republican Party. John Quincy Adams won the election. After this, Andrew Jackson started a new party called the Democrats. Jackson's party was very strong in the southern and western parts of the country. They also had support in some cities, though not many Americans lived in cities back then.

Soon after Jackson's election, another party formed. This party supported John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. It was first called the National Republican Party, but later became the Whig Party. The Whigs were strong in the northern states. They also had a lot of support from middle-class people and business owners. The competition between the Democrats and the Whigs was known as the "Second Party System."

Civil War Era: The 1850s and 1860s

The "Second Party System" ended in the 1850s. A big reason for this change was the Kansas–Nebraska Act. This law caused a lot of arguments about slavery.

Here's how the parties changed:

• Many Whigs and Democrats who didn't like the Kansas-Nebraska Act joined with other groups to form a new party. This was the Republican Party. Their main goal was to stop slavery from spreading. They also liked many ideas that the Whigs had supported.
• The Whig Party broke apart. Some Whigs joined smaller groups like the Know-Nothing Party for the 1856 election. More of them eventually joined either the new Republican Party or the Democratic Party.
• In the 1860 election, some Know-Nothings and Southern Democrats who wanted to keep the United States together formed the Constitutional Union Party. During and after the American Civil War, many of these people became Republicans.
• By 1860, the Democratic Party itself split. There was a Northern group and a Southern group. Each side supported a different side in the Civil War.
• After the war, by 1868, the Democratic Party came back together. This led to the "Third Party System," with the Democrats and Republicans as the two main parties.

The Great Depression: The 1930s Shift

In the 1920s, the Republican Party was mostly in charge of the United States. But in the 1930s, the country became mostly Democratic. This big shift happened because more people moved to cities. Also, the Great Depression, a time of severe economic hardship, played a huge role.

Franklin D. Roosevelt became President during the Great Depression. He created a group of voters called the "New Deal coalition." This group mostly supported the Democrats until the 1960s. During this time, the two main parties changed their political ideas. The Republicans, who had been more liberal, became more conservative. The Democrats, who had been more conservative, became more liberal.

Here are some of the changes:

• Cities became very Democratic. People in urban areas voted strongly for leaders like Al Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Cities were growing fast, partly because of immigrants.
• Many Black Americans moved from the South to large Northern cities. This was often because of racial segregation in the South. Before the 1930s, they often didn't vote or voted Republican. But under Roosevelt, most of them started voting Democratic.
• Roosevelt gained support all over the country. People liked him and wanted him to help end the Great Depression.

Modern Politics: The 1960s to 1980s

The New Deal coalition started to break apart in the 1960s and 1970s. This was due to several important events. These included the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and more people moving to the suburbs.

Here's what changed:

• After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many white, conservative Southern Democrats switched to the Republican Party. Before 1964, the South had been mostly Democratic. After 1964, it became mostly Republican.
• The Democrats gained support from more liberal Republicans and from Latino voters.
• In the 1980 election, many working-class Democrats voted for Republicans. These voters were called "Reagan Democrats" because they voted for Ronald Reagan.